book lovin' blog

December 30, 2017December 17, 2017

Travel Musings

Why is it admirable to be well-traveled? To me, it’s always been associated with being cultured, adventurous, intelligent. Am I then uncultured if I fly to another country and immediately head to do American things?

I’ve watched Zootopia in Korea, eaten McDonalds in Japan, and sipped Starbucks in Singapore. I even went to Hong Kong Disneyland, which is widely known to be way less cool than the Disneyland in California.

Sometimes when I travel and do these things, I’m embarrassed. Shouldn’t I be hiking through some rice paddy somewhere and harvesting my own lunch? Shouldn’t I be learning at least some of the language?

My answer is that when I’m on vacation, it should be relaxing. It’s okay to have some time doing things well inside my comfort zone. No matter what, traveling will expose you to at least a few things you’re not used to, and I think this is why it’s good for you.

I never knew that not all cultures line up like Americans do–some just stand super close and shove in front of you. I never thought twice about having an adapter that would plug into a different kind of outlet. I definitely, definitely, did not ever think about what I would order at a restaurant in which a plucked chicken was on display with the skull cut open to show the brain. (I ordered rice.)

I love adventuring and learning and eating and traveling and seeing all there is to see.